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the other SAD.. seasonal anxiety

chicorychicory Raw Newbie

I was wondering if anyone else here gets the blahs when there are less hours of sunlight during fall and winter…. how do you brighten up your days? I tend to want to hunker down and hibernate when this happens, but then cabin fever sets in, and no matter how many walks in the park i take, just get kind of get into this pattern of mild irritability, and malaise. Has anyone else like this found a change in attitude after going raw? just curious. And fruits and veggies! I don’t know how I will survive without fresh juicy peaches during the winter.

Comments

  • MOTHMOTH Raw Newbie

    Yep, I hear you! The day I woke up and I smelled autumn, I got a nervous flutter. When I saw that Whole Foods had big giant pumpkins out already, I got downright pissy. :-( And it gets dark at 7pm now! Yikes…I’m already feeling sun-withdrawls..

    I lived in Texas for 10 years before moving to Boston. This will be my third winter here…every winter, I get down in the dumps. Raw food helped me out last year, but I still got wicked depressed around February. (Of course I was also going through a divorce, but the dark days of ice and snow didn’t help either, LOL)

    Oh well. We’ll see how I do this year. :-) I think staying very busy will help, so I already have a head start; doing as much hot yoga as I possibly can, staying calm, taking trips to NYC here and there for some gourmet raw. The end of December will make my 1 yr raw anniversary, so I do have stuff to look forward to.

  • OMG Moth, you said wicked, I miss that. I was born and raised in Connecticut for 24 years, it was miserable every fall and winter. Dreary, dark, cold, ugh. When we moved to Mississippi then California I thought I had headed to heaven. Now that we are semi-north east again, I am trying to keep myself active. During the last winter, I would get up early to spend as much time in the sun as possible, go outside, I froze a lot, I mean A LOT of fresh fruits and veggies in the summer and it made the difference to get them out and have them available. I had a friend recommend melatonin and vitamin b-12 along with vitamin d. Cold, damp darkness makes me crave all kinds of sweets and carbs, it also makes me cranky.

  • SueSue Raw Newbie

    chicory, you’re not alone. I went from “SAD” to raw overnight in January of 2007. Not an easy trip!! I live in New York. Needless to say, I was one cold b*#@h that winter. Being raw is so much easier when it’s warm and there are seasonal foods to enjoy. But being depressed is not soley related to diet. Sunshine and warmth is way more mood enhancing than damp, cold weather. That’s why there is that “other” acronym….Eating healthy definitely helped my moods, even in the “off” season. If it’s just a mild case of seasonal “doldrums” I wouldn’t worry. Just keep truckin’ and the spring will be here soon enough.

  • I’m the opposite – I LOVE the fall and the winter. The air is fresh and cool – not hot and sticky. No bugs. Cold clear nights curled up in front of the fire. Polar fleece, fluffy hats, watching your breath, toboganning, ice skating outside, walking in the sleeping woods….oh, I could go on and on. Eutopia for me. :)

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    I love the change of the seasons…. fall is beautiful, and I love the smells and crisp air. I couldn’t see myself living somewhere like san diego where it is always the same! but winter seems to drag on and on for me… makes me moody

  • ahh yes…I grew up in the northeast but the winters never bothered me until I was in high school. I spent this last winter in the rocky mountains and it was one of the worst winters they have had in a while in terms of weather…cloudy, particularly freezing, and tons of snow. I was miserable. Depending on the year, some for me are worse than others, but I can really get severely depressed.

    I love fall though, when it is still tolerable temperature wise and the sky is clear. I just hate gray cloudy days. Even on a random rainy day in the summer, I just get so lethargic and sad. This winter will be my first raw, and I am back east so we will see how it goes. Compared to the mountains, it will be tropical anyway. 30 degrees is way warmer than 0 and negatives.

  • greenghostgreenghost Raw Newbie

    FYI… Not to get too crazy with semantics, but it is aka Seasonal Affective Disorder – for those who become depressed, but not necessarily anxious, during the months of sunlight deprivation.

    There are special lights (full-spectrum lights) that one may purchase to combat this. You must sit in front of the light for a period of time each day to aid in preventing the mood (affect) changes.

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    hehehe! I thought it sounded weird! thanks

  • Being born and raised in upstate NY, and going to college in western NY(rochester area), and then living all over the northeast(Boston, Connecticut, Philly, Long Island, etc..) you could not pay me to move from sunny Florida back north. I do dearly miss the hardwoods, fresh water stream fishing and the glorious fall, but the lack of warm sunshine is a huge negative for me. I absolutely understand the impact that lack of bright light(especially natural sunlight) can have on people. Even down here in Florida if we get some prolonged rainy, gloomy weather I can feel it personally and see the impact of it on peoples dispositions. The change of seasons is great, and I miss it, but the seasons change here as well, and I dont have to live with the stick trees and what I call “nuclear winter” for up to 6-7 months/year. Not to mention the HUGE benefit of fresh produce being grown year round!!

  • iknikn

    I agree with geespeen. I live in Florida now for 14 years and would not like to move back North. I do miss the mountains and maybe the fall colors, but I love the beach and the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies.

    In the winter it gets dark around 6-6.30 and it does effect our mood. By the time I get home from work, it’s already dark. It is depressing.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I defnitely have that. haha. I’m okay with fall if there is sun. I enjoy the crisp air and the changing leaves and of course all the festive holidays but once January hits it’s all downhill. I live in the midwest where we have crazy changes all the time and tons of storms whether it be freezing cold rain, actual freezing rain, snow, sleet, or fog. It’s there and the sun is not. Last winter was particularly bad.

    My Mom-in-law gave me a good tip though. She said when she get’s down in the dumps she goes and tans. Not to get a tan but to feel the warmth and relaxation. Also she changes the bulbs in her house to high wattage.

  • greenghostgreenghost Raw Newbie

    hi again – here is a link to one place that sells full-spectrum lights for seasonal affective disorder therapy:
    http://www.lighttherapyproducts.com/light_boxes…
    my ex-h had one and I swear it really helped him tremendously during the winter months.
    Good luck to all who suffer from this kind of SAD.

    PS: Some people don’t know it, but lack of Vitamin D is often the source of depression. Those with SAD might want to supplement when the days are shorter….

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